White Culture of the Antebellum South **Before War.

White Culture of the White Culture of the Antebellum SouthAntebellum South

**Before War**Before War

Some other Cultures You Have Studied

The Cotton Kingdom

Recap: What was the impact cotton had on the Southern economy? Why do you think many 19th Century Americans referred to cotton as “King Cotton”?

I. Cotton Economics

A. Global Demand 1. The United States supplied 3/4 of the world’s

cotton supply 2. By 1850, over half of all U.S. exports was cotton ***If separated from the United States*** The

South would have been considered one of the wealthiest countries in the world in 1860 based on the value of the cotton trade.

Who is the leader today?

B. Consequences

1. Cotton drains the soil of nutrients, and planters were forced to relocate to continue to make a profit.

2. An increase in the demand for and the value of slaves.

II. Southern Society

Another way of looking at the data

Major Question to Consider

If 75% of the White Population did not own slaves, why was slavery supported?

A. Planter Envy

1. Owning slaves and becoming a plantation owner was the goal of most whites living in the South.

2. The planters were the people who held power in Southern society.

B. A Closed Mind and a Closed Society

1. Other than being white, planters had little in common with yeoman and poor whites.

2. Religion was used to justify slavery and white supremacy

3. Abolitionist writings were banned in many Southern states.